[This is not a spoiler-free review of the episode. If you have not seen the episode yet, read it at your own spoiler risk.]
Episode 807: “Evidence of Things Not Seen”
Written by Toni Graphia, Directed by Tracey Deer
“Evidence of Things Not Seen” could also be titled “Evidence of Things Not in the Book.” This episode may be the one episode out of the entirety of the Outlander series that strayed the farthest from the source material by Diana Gabaldon. When it is the last season of the series, and there are three more episodes after this one, it gives the writer, Toni Graphia, and the showrunner, Matthew B. Roberts, the freedom to diverge as far as possible from the book, with little recourse or regret. There must be some lightness in making these changes to the story, because it has now become Graphia and Roberts’ story, with characters loosely based on Gabaldon’s own.
William (Charles Vandervaart) continues to want to grow up and act like a grown-up; however, his father makes it hard for him. Just when William is dealing with the revelation that his cousin is alive and also a traitor to the Crown, and he has slept with his very alive cousin’s wife, he walks in on his father, Lord John (David Berry), romantically kissing Percy Beauchamp (Michael Lindall) in the foyer. Great, now William has even more daddy issues to deal with on top of everything else. I have to believe that Lord John would be more discreet in his actions and where he does them, ever to risk someone walking in on him kissing another man.
Because of his recent battlefield experience, Roger (Richard Rankin) is now determined to become a reverend and tells Brianna (Sophie Skelton) as much. I guess every couple is getting a last hurrah sex scene this season—it’s Roger and Brianna’s turn this time. Later in the episode, Brianna reveals to Roger that she is expecting their third child. Will the audience ever see this child? Probably not unless there is a significant time jump in the remaining episodes.
The Fergus Fraser & Sons Printing & Books is not without its hardships. Marsali (Lauren Lyle) and Fergus (César Domboy) continue to receive anonymous notes and poems that are problematic—the most recent one involves fire. Marsali is pegged with tomatoes while Brianna and her are at the market by young men wishing them ill because of what they print and distribute. Unfortunately, the family is awoken in the middle of the night to their business and house on fire. Germain (Robin Scott) and Henri-Christian (Benjamin Moss) cannot be found, so Fergus runs to find them on the roof. By the time they are found, the way back down is blocked, so the two boys are lowered to the ground via a rope. Henri-Christian falls, but luckily, Roger is on the scene and catches him. Unfortunately, the ground beneath Fergus gives way, and he falls into the burning building and is assumed dead. The aftermath is soul-crushing, with Marsali witnessing his death and then not being able to grieve appropriately with her children around her. The moments with her and Brianna on the floor of the bedroom are a tear-jerker for sure. The moment they all arrive back on Fraser’s Ridge to bring the news back to Jamie (Sam Heughan) and Claire (Caitriona Balfe) is also emotional because Jamie and Claire had no idea what was happening—at first it was joyous to see the family, and then sadness when they realized their first son had passed away.
This episode also brings the Faith and Fanny question to an end. The writers have dragged this “Did Faith live?” question on for eight episodes since the finale of last season. When Jane tells her parents’ backstory to a paper before she was to be killed last season, she reveals everything she knows about her mother, which pretty much seals it that Faith is The Faith. Fanny (Florrie May Wilkinson) learns that Jamie and Claire are her grandparents, and that her parents were heading to North Carolina because Faith had learned that her mother resided there. The episode ends with a flashback to Paris, where Master Raymond (Dominique Pinon) delivers the baby to the lacemaker, with instructions to deliver her to Madame Broch Turach, which never happens. The song is coincidentally taught to the lacemaker by Master Raymond, and that is how it is passed along through the generations.
We can just accept that this is part of the show and the book is still the book. However, it seems like such a weird tangent that involves multiple characters with no real point, other than striking more pain in Jamie and Claire’s hearts because they lost their child all over again. She lived, and they did not know it until she was gone again. This tangent does give Fanny a stronger tie to the Fraser family, but with this being the last season, was that even necessary? We are not going to see Fanny grow and develop relationships with other family members. If we think back to season two, Master Raymond had other chances to say to Claire or Jamie that their child lived, and here is where she is, but that did not happen because the writers did not have that storyline back then, and why would they?
Ignorance is bliss because those who have never picked up the last book or any of the books would not know whether what happened in this episode is true to the book. The death of Fergus, rather than his son, only works because the series is ending. Fergus is still alive in the books. Faith is dead and was never resurrected for a fantastical storyline involving her daughter. Putting aside the book versus show changes, all the actors in this episode are absolutely flawless in their portrayal of their characters. There is not a hint of fake emotion or overacting in it; they are all on their A-game. This episode gave each character meaningful lines and actions, except for Rachel and Ian, who were not in this one. If the actors disagreed with what was happening in this episode, it did not come through in their performance. The end is coming for Outlander, the show, and let’s hope that the series ends on some note that is true to Diana Gabaldon’s characters and what this show has built from season one. This episode and its departures make that hope dimmer and make this reader nervous for the end.
NEXT WEEK ON FRIDAY, APRIL 24TH, AT 8 PM ET: EPISODE 808: “IN THE FOREST.”
Synopsis: “Claire and Jamie receive an unexpected visitor on the Ridge.”
